The Financial Times group is planning to make up to 80 staff redundant across its global operations, telling journalists today that 2009 will be a "crucial year for news media".

The FT chief executive, John Ridding, told staff the company had started negotiations with 80 employees about possible redundancy as part of its restructuring plans. All those who may face redundancy will have been contacted by tomorrow, he said.

The managing editor, Dan Bogler, told staff today that 20 editorial positions were affected – and less than half would be compulsory redundancies. Bogler told staff he was still looking for candidates for voluntary redundancies.

The NUJ chapel understands that six of the positions will be in London and has called an emergency meeting tomorrow to oppose the threat of compulsory redundancies.

During the last round of job cuts the paper threatened to make a round of compulsory redundancies until there were sufficient voluntary redundancies.

Ridding also revealed that the FT will increase digital and print integration and will merge some of its recent acquisitions with existing operations.

He added that FT.com would reach 1 million registered users this month.

The FT, which is owned by Pearson, will this year launch a China business report and a digital edition of its highly profitable How To Spend It magazine. The paper also plans to grow its Middle East edition and its Chinese language operations.

Ridding told staff in an email today that the company had to be especially focused on "our efficiency and productivity".

"Sustaining our financial strength is essential to maintaining the quality of our journals and the dynamism of our organisation," he wrote. "We understand that change isn't easy – especially when it affects colleagues and friends who we've worked with closely. But these measures are necessary to build on our success."

He also made reference to "outsourcing non-core processes", understood to be a reference to the paper's operations in Manila, which could be expanded.

Ridding and the FT editor, Lionel Barber, will meet staff on Wednesday to outline their plans for the year.